Endless inclined runway ball and pocket game

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus having a circular concaved surface having a centrally disposed opening, four evenly spaced extensions located around the peripheral edge of the surface to serve as tees, and four evenly spaced pocket openings located inwardly and adjacent the tees. Supporting the surface are four hollow open-ended pocket legs joining the underside of the surface such that the centerlines of the four-leg open ends and the four surface openings coincide. Spherical objects are propelled from the tees upon the concaved surface in an attempt to be rolled into the peripheral openings where they are retained in the support legs.

United States Patent [721 lnventor Elmer H. Kessler Queen Anne Co., Centreville, Md. 21617 [21] Appl. No 826,177 [22] Filed May 20, 1969 [45] Patented Aug. 3, 1971 [54] ENDLESS INCLINED RUNWAY BALL AND POCKET GAME 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Fig.

[52] U.S. Cl 273/1123 [51] Int. Cl a A631 7/00 [50] FieldofSearch 273/108, 113, 115, 118, 119, 123, 116; 46/43 [56] Reierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 520.070 5/1894 Miller 273/115 1,559,472 10/1925 Subers .1

ABSTRACT: A game apparatus having a circular concaved surface having a centrally disposed opening, four evenly spaced extensions located around the peripheral edge of the surface to serve as tees, and four evenly spaced pocket openings located inwardly and adjacent the tees. Supporting the surface are four hollow open-ended pocket legs joining the underside of the surface such that the centerlines of the fourleg open ends and the four surface openings coincide. Spherical objects are propelled from the tees upon the concaved surface in an attempt to be rolled into the peripheral openings where they are retained in the support legs.

G) W, e

Patented Aug. 3, "1971 3,596,91

ELMEI? H. KESSLER ENDLESS INCLINE!) RUNWAY BALL AND POCKET GAME This invention relates to ball and pocket games and more particularly to one having a somewhat saucer-shaped member which is adapted for spherical objects to be rolled around in and on with said member being supported by hollow legs which also serve as object-retaining pockets.

Most ball and pocket games require some kind of striking device to set the ball in motion with the ball traveling straight away from the striker. In this invention no striking parts of any kind are used, and due to the games unique design the ball can and must travel a curved path even though the object pocket may be on a straight line from the balls starting point.

A certain amount of skill is necessary to play this game, but not so much as to detract from the interest and entertainment in its play.

The main object of this invention is to create a competitive ball and pocket game which is new, very interesting to play, and will hold the attention of all age groups.

An equally important object is that this game can be made of the lowest cost materials, employing mass production methods with very few operations in its manufacture because it contains no moving parts whatever.

Another object is that the game is adaptable for rotation play and also for greater excitement more than one person can play at the same time.

Still another object is that the game can be emptied of balls and be made ready for play to begin at any time by merely lifting it a few inches from the table top on which it stands and setting it down again at once.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following description and the accompanying drawing shows a game using the ideas of this invention which will accommodate from one to four players.

In the drawing is shown a circular member called the ball runway 1. It can be made of any kind of rigid sheet material in any size, but for a tabletop game a diameter of 18 inches is ideal.

There is a rather large opening in the center of runway 1 called the exit trap 6 and the runway slants upward from the trap to all points of the runway's outer edge or rim.

This slant or incline can be straight or it can be concaved. Either contour will work. The incline creates a gravity pull toward trap 6 on a ball rolling around on runway l, and the ball will fall through the trap if its velocity drops enough.

The main reason for the trap is to prevent the rolling of a ball diametrically across the runway at any point.

The four tees 2 are small extensions to the outer edge of the runway. They are evenly spaced and are about four times the ball diameter in length and two times in width. Each tee 2 has a small dent 3 in its surface near one end for a ball to rest in but which can easily be rolled out of. The dent is very shallow and barely retains the ball.

There are four evenly spaced pocket openings 4 in the runway and the diameter of the openings is considerably more than that of the ball, so the ball will have easy access into them. These openings are located in front of the tees and not far from the outer edge of the runway.

The four hollow open-ended pocket legs 5 stand erect and support the runway. Their open top ends are joined to the underside of the runway around the pocket openings 4 and their open bottom ends rest on the table top.

A hoop 8 is shown laid on the table with the four legs standing inside it. The hoop contains the stock of balls which is 50 or more in number. This hoop is not considered an element of the invention as it could just as well be a large can lid, a tray or a shallow cardboard box as its use is merely to keep the balls from rolling off the table.

The game is played as follows. Each player takes a seated or standing position near a tee and takes a ball from the stock and places it in dent 3 of tee 2. He then places a fingertip on top of the ball and rolls it off the tee onto the runway in a counterclockwise direction and the slant m the runway Wlll assist him to curve the ball around trap 6 thus avoiding it and continue on to the pocket opening on the opposite side of the game. Each player's object pocket is similarly situated, on the opposite side of the game from his starting tee.

The first player filling his pocket leg with balls in the above manner wins the game. All pocket legs hold the same number of balls as they are identical in dimensions.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, various changes can be made in the detail construction such as using an oval or other shaped ball runway, or using more than one exit trap, such changes would still be in the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim or claims.

Having thus completely and fully described the invention, what I now claim as new and desire to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A ball and pocket game comprising in combination, spherical objects, an annular body whose area within its periphery slants upward from its center to all points at its periphery, said annular body being adapted to accommodate said spherical objects to roll around thereon, and containing at least one opening which is large enough for said spherical objects to fall through, a plurality of separate means to loosely and releasably contain said spherical objects near the periphery of said annular body, said ball-containing means having a surface which is in communication with the surface of said annular body, and a plurality of target openings contained in said annular body which are somewhat greater in diameter than said spherical objects, and a plurality of hollow open-ended legs to support said annular body, each of said legs having an open top end joined to the underside of said annular body around each of said target openings so the target openings communicate with the interior of said hollow legs and the bottom open ends of the legs can rest on a convenient flat surface, each of said hollow legs having a length several times greater than the diameter of said spherical objects, so that with a finger flip a said spherical object can be rolled from a said containing means onto the surface of said annular body in a curved path so as to avoid said at least one opening, proceed to and enter a said target opening and descend the interior of said hollow leg and come to rest therein. 

